Researchers could be closing in on a vaccine to fight malaria!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/opinion/14sun3.html?_r=1

“The new studies showed that the most advanced candidate vaccine — made by GlaxoSmithKline — cut illnesses in infants and young children by more than half and could safely be given with other childhood vaccines that are already routinely administered throughout Africa. The results were published in The New England Journal of Medicine, along with an editorial that called the vaccine’s performance a “hopeful beginning” toward prevention of the disease.”

“Even a vaccine that is partially effective could save hundreds of thousands of lives a year. It would bolster the gains already being made by insecticide-treated bed nets that prevent mosquitoes from spreading the parasite and by malaria pills to treat sick patients.”

From Wikipedia:

“Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Each year, there are approximately 515 million cases of malaria, killing between one and three million people, the majority of whom are young children in Sub-Saharan Africa.^[1] 90% of malaria related deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is commonly associated with poverty, but is also a cause of poverty^[2] and a major hindrance to economic development.”